Knock...knock
Hearing a knock at the door LongWei stood up to answer it.
"Hey, do you mind if I come in and chat with Zimo?" Chang Shaoqing asked familiarly. LongWei wasn't too pleased. Even so before he could reject him, Zimo had already invited him in.
"Is there something you need?" Zimo asked a little shy.
"Ah, yeah. I want to chat about food. The idiots out there don't know anything. They just think if it taste good and fills their belly it's good. They don't understand the complexities or what it takes to make food delicious and you seem like the kind of guy who does, so I..."
"Stop." LongWei said cutting Chang Shaoqing's long speech. He was speaking far too quickly. Zimo on the bed looked at LongWei for help, because he couldn't understand what was being said.
"What! Sorry. Didn't mean to bother you so much. I'll go back I guess." Chang Shaoqing said dejected.
"Don't misunderstand. It's fine to chat. Just speak slower. Zimo's hearing is poor, when you speak too loudly or quick he can't understand what your saying." LongWei explained.
"Eh? Your ears don't work." Chang Shaoqing asked looking at Zimo.
Zimo red faced nodded. "I can only ear from my right and it's also not great. If you speak slower, and if I look at your lips I won't have too much trouble. Sorry." He clarified feeling sheepish.
"No, it's no problem. I should say sorry. My rant just now must have been real confusing." Chang Shaoqing said apologetically.
"You two talk. Zimo I'm going to go prepare your medicine." LongWei said as he stood up to leave.
Alone in the room, zimo nervously asked, "What did you want to ask me about the food?"
"Oh, yeah. It's about that smelly sauce. It smells rotten, but when LongWei added it to the porridge the deliciousness went up by like ten." Chang Shaoqing mentioned.
"The smelly one? Is it brown?" Zimo asked.
"Yeah. What is it?"
"That's fish sauce. You're not wrong about it smelling rotten. It's actually made by letting fish rot and ferment." Zimo explained.
"Seriously, how does something rotten taste so good? And is it really safe to eat? I was always taught that eating food that has turned rotten would make you sick, maybe even kill you." He asked both amused, but also a little suspicious.
"You aren't wrong. There are many foods that can be eaten after fermenting, but if it's not done properly it will make you sick and taste terrible." Zimo admitted. He certainly wouldn't recommend fermenting food without proper handling.
The two talked a long time about food and how some food could be fermented. Zimo had once written an article about "The Lost Art of Fermentation" so he knew quite a lot about the process.
"Seriously, your knowledge on food is awesome. Those idiots out there don't know what they're missing." Chang Shaoqing suddenly commented.
Hearing Chang Shaoqing mention the others, Zimo's mood fell.
At that very moment LongWei came through the door with the pungent medicine.
"Damn that stuff stinks." Chang Shaoqing exclaimed.
"Zimo take your medicine then get some rest. LongWei said placing the medicine on the table.
"Oh man, I forgot your sick. Well I'll let you get some rest. Feel better soon." Chang Shaoqing said as he got up to leave.
"Hm. Let's talk again later." Zimo said. He was glad Chang Shaoqing was a friendly guy.
After Chang Shaoqing left, LongWei lifted the quilt and placed Zimo's injured ankle on his lap. Zimo grimaced from the movement.
"Sorry baby. I'm going to apply some of the medicine to your ankle. I'll try to be gentle but it will most likely still hurt." LongWei said as he took the medicinal salve from the bowl and began smearing on Zimo ankle.
Zimo couldn't help but hiss when he felt LongWei's strong rough fingers rub the salve over his swollen ankle. LongWei then wrapped it in white cotton strips before placing it back under the quilt. He had balled up one of his robes to help prop Zimo's ankle up.
"Try to keep it raised, it will help." He said before taking the second bowl of medicine.
Zimo stared at the bowl, unwillingness burned in his eyes.
"You need to drink it." LongWei immediately said leaving no room for rejection.
"It tastes terrible." Zimo complained. Even so LongWei didn't bat an eye and placed the bowl directly to Zimo's mouth.
Knowing he couldn't refuse, Zimo drank the terribly bitter and pungent medicine. In one gulp. Followed by a mixture of coughing and gagging from the horrible taste.
"Baby, get some sleep. While you sleeping I will be nearby. If anything is wrong just yell. I promise I will come within seconds." LongWei said as he tucked Zimo under the quilt and gave him a tender kiss.
"Where's my candy?" Zimo asked dissatisfied.
LongWei chuckled in his usually deep voice and stuffed a sweet candy in Zimo's mouth before leaving the room.
...
After leaving the room he saw the five soldiers looking in his direction with some guilt. Chang Shaoqing had told them about Zimo's hearing impairment and how easygoing Zimo was when talking.
"LongWei, it seems we owe your spouse an apology." Kong Huizhong said as he stood up. They were under the impression Zimo didn't like their boisterous personalities. However, it seemed Zimo couldn't understand what they were saying, not that he was dissatisfied with what they said.
LongWei looked at the men with dark complexions. "Zimo isn't good with dealing with others. He also has a weak body. Even so, I hope you can be patient, treat him with respect, and speak slowly." He said before returning to the kitchen, not waiting for the men's response.
The others looked amongst themselves. They had thought Zimo had a poor attitude, but the ones a fault were them. They had decided to reflect properly and apologize to Zimo next chance they got.
...
YOU ARE READING
Living on a Mountain with my Husband
RomanceZhang Zimo was an orphan. His life was hard, but he later grew up to be a successful author. Then, one day he died. After waking up, he found himself in ancient Chinese society, living as an abused man about to be married off to a comatose husband...
